Peoples "united by the Mediterranean"” “

The first “Inter-Institutional Conference of the peoples united by the Mediterranean” was held in Palermo on 27/28 November. Organized by the Region of Sicily in the framework of the programme of activities of the six months’ Italian Presidency of the EU, it was attended by representatives of all the countries on the Mediterranean littoral and delegations from all the member and candidate states of the EU. The Conference was a way of reviving the Mediterranean dimension “ignored” by the EU over the last decade as a result of preparations for enlargement, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the instability of the area due to the Islamic fundamentalism insurgent in many countries of northern Africa and the Middle East. The final document, delivered to the Euro-Mediterranean ministerial Conference meeting in Naples on 2/3 December, formally establishes a “contact group” between the political authorities of the governments and local authorities of the Mediterranean countries, with the mandate of promoting and administering Euro-Mediterranean policies and “relations of proximity” between the two shores. During the Conference – which also tackled the issues of migration and the pacification between the North and South parts of the island of Cyprus – a proposal was made for the implementation of a “Marshall Plan” for the Mediterranean basin. Lastly, both the EU Presidency and the Commission have confirmed the future birth of the Euro-Mediterranean Bank (with probable headquarters in Palermo) and of the Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for Culture (Crete currently favoured as its seat). Meanwhile, the Euro-Mediterranean ministerial Conference, at the end of its meeting in Naples on 3 December, endorsed the decision of the Euromed Parliamentary Forum to transform itself into the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA).